The former Ogilvy department store building, seen prior to its demolition.

By Kane Van Ee

General contractor PCL Constructors Canada Inc. is currently demolishing the old Rideau Street building, located at the corner of Nicholas Street, to make way for a $250-million expansion of the downtown shopping centre first announced last fall.

An additional 250,000 square feet of space is being added, along with three new floors of underground parking, according to heritage consultant Barry Padolsky.

The city issued the construction permit last month on the condition that the mall’s owner, Cadillac Fairview Corp., restore and reinstate the heritage-protected materials.

Cindy VanBuskirk, the general manager of the Rideau Centre, said the heritage facade, windows and other architectural features have been cleaned, sorted and stored off-site. These heritage components will be incorporated into the design of the new building.

“We will be bringing the building back to its former grandeur,” said Ms. VanBuskirk.

The historical components of the property had already been reportedly preserved when a wall collapsed at the demolition site last month.

Several features that were part of the original department store building are being recreated for the expansion. For example, designers are using historical photos and original architectural drawings to reproduce two metal cornices that were removed about 80 years ago.

“The building will look like it did when it opened in 1908,” said Mr. Padolsky.

Cadillac Fairview Corp. will be submitting a site plan to the city once its board of directors have settled on the future design concept, likely by June, said Ms. VanBuskirk. Construction of the expansion is expected to begin before the end of summer.

The Rideau Centre is not the only mall in Ottawa undergoing expansion. To the west, construction crews have been busy at Bayshore Shopping Centre to add an additional 160,000-square-feet of retail space that will cost $200 million and be completed for 2015.